Twitter, like most social media platforms, aims to help cut through bots, trolls and misinformation by various means, such as Twitter verification.
And if your business is active on Twitter, you might be wondering how to get verified and earn the blue checkmark badge next to your account handle.
Twitter verification involves a manual review by Twitter of your account to assert that your profile is credible, authentic and of interest to the public. This means that Twitter can confirm that your account is not impersonating, manipulating or spamming anyone in addition to not violating any copyright or trademark laws. Of course, Twitter verification doesn’t mean an endorsement of your business. It’s all very similar to getting verified on Instagram.
Accounts that can be considered for verification include those used by businesses, politicians, celebrities, musicians, influencers, journalists and so on. Having a big following alone, though, is not a guarantee for getting verified.
Twitter is the world’s seventh favorite social media platform, so to be validated on Twitter helps build trust with your target audience and could lead indirectly to an increase in followers since verification is a sign of authenticity and public interest.
Keep in mind that Twitter announced a new verification program in 2021 after pausing the program in 2017 when a white supremacist’s account obtained a Twitter verification badge, causing a scandal for Twitter.
While anyone can apply for Twitter verification, not everyone will be approved. Minimum follower counts are required, but they do differ between regions to make the verification process more equitable.
Dive deeper into Twitter’s current verification policy.
The application process is relatively simple. Navigate to “Account Settings” on Twitter and select “Request Verification.” Then, you can follow the prompts to submit your application for review.
But again, Twitter verification is not guaranteed. The following are five tips to help you get verified on Twitter the first time you apply.
Optimize your Twitter profile
Of course, you should already want your Twitter account to reflect your brand. What more can you do to optimize your profile?
You can start by writing a brief-but-descriptive bio that includes your company’s location and a link to your website. In addition, make sure that you’re using high-quality images for your profile photo and cover photo.
You also can pin your top tweet. This then becomes the first tweet users see when visiting your profile, so the tweet you choose matters.
Maintain an active account
If you’re tweeting sporadically, you’re not setting yourself up well for verification. Beyond tweeting more (but still thinking about quality over quantity), you should consider:
- Responding quickly to direct messages, mentions and comments.
- Liking, retweeting and commenting on other users’ content.
- Following and engaging with verified Twitter accounts.
- Using hashtags to participate in trending conversations.
When applying for Twitter verification, Twitter does look at how your account engages with other accounts. So, ask questions, post polls and mention other verified accounts to encourage them to join the conversation.
To boost the quality of your own brand content, leverage photos and videos. This is especially important considering that you only have 280 characters to work with. Visuals can help communicate more beyond those 280 characters, and you’ll likely see higher engagement as well.
And with more tweets comes a higher risk of spelling and grammar mistakes. Double-check all copy in your tweets before posting since Twitter doesn’t allow you to edit a tweet after publication (and you wouldn’t want to have to do that as a brand anyway).
Plan and execute a Twitter marketing strategy
To help you stay focused and efficient with your content and engagement on Twitter, creating and executing a separate marketing strategy for Twitter is helpful.
You can start by:
- Outlining your goals
- Understanding what your competitors are doing
- Using a content calendar
- Tracking your engagement and growth
Check out our eight expert tips to market your business better on Twitter.
Avoid shortcuts
You might be eager to get your Twitter account verified, but resist the temptation to take any shortcuts. This includes buying followers and relying on bots, you name it.
You want to keep it real, authentic, credible and reliable as a Twitter account, so avoid any seemingly spammy tweets as well.
Be patient and trust that embracing Twitter’s best practices will not only result in Twitter verification but will help you stay verified as well.
Ensure that everything you tweet is public
While Twitter gives the option for users to change their privacy settings, you want to make sure that as a brand, all your tweets are open to public viewing.
Private tweets limit interaction and engagement, but private tweeting also signals to Twitter that your account is not of public interest.
In conclusion
While there’s no guarantee, getting verified on Twitter is one thing. Staying verified on Twitter is a whole other thing. It is possible to lose your Twitter verification badge if you don’t continue to follow Twitter’s rules and community guidelines.
View Twitter’s “rules of the road” to get a better understanding of the expectations.
In addition, check out the 14 biggest mistakes businesses make on Twitter.
As you begin to optimize your Twitter presence for possible verification, consider leveling up your digital marketing process, which can include automation, audience segmentation and enhanced email marketing capabilities, to name a few. DailyStory can help. Schedule your free demo with us today.
